How Disney leveraged fans’ anger to win back Spider-Man
For the past several weeks, we’ve been discussing the Groundswell and how we can use it to our advantage. Something that came to my mind was how tapping into people’s emotions can get them to support your brand. One emotion, however, is most useful in this endeavor: anger.
Disney and Marvel knew this very well when they decided to leverage their fans’ anger over the news that Spider-Man was no longer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe due to failed negotiations with Sony.
Back in August, Disney (who owns Marvel Studios) and Sony (who owns the film rights to Spider-Man) failed to reach a new agreement that would allow Spider-Man to appear in more Marvel movies. According to Deadline, Disney asked for a 50/50 profit split between the two companies, which was up from Disney’s original 5 percent yield. Sony, who saw the massive success of Spider-Man: Far From Home, decided that it could be successful without the help of Disney.
With no fixed deal in place, Sony would be able to make its own Spider-Man movies set apart from the MCU. This news shocked and angered fans, who loved seeing their favorite web-slinger interact with the rest of the heroes in the MCU.
Many believed that Disney leaked the information of the negotiations to reporters so fans would come to the aid of Disney to get Sony back to the negotiation table. Though this is speculation, one thing is certain: fans had Disney’s back.
Countless Spidey fans posted their anger all over the Internet. Most of their anger was directed towards Sony, who many believed was responsible for not seeking a new deal to keep Spider-Man in the MCU.
Finally, after what seemed like fruitless attempts at getting a new deal, Disney and Sony finally reconciled. The two companies agreed to collaborate on one solo Spidey film and that the character would show up in one other Marvel film.
Fans celebrated the return of their favorite hero to the film universe they’ve loved for the past decade. They could once again see Tom Holland redon his red and blue tights to resolve the massive cliffhanger that left audiences in eager anticipation for the next film.
Even if Disney didn’t purposely leak this information, it certainly benefited from it. Disney got Spider-Man back in the MCU, and it will now gain 25 percent of the film’s profits instead of a measly 5 percent.
At the end of the day, fans’ outrage benefitted both Disney and Spider-Man fans!
What do you think of companies using their audience’s anger to their benefit? Let me know in the comments below!
Back in August, Disney (who owns Marvel Studios) and Sony (who owns the film rights to Spider-Man) failed to reach a new agreement that would allow Spider-Man to appear in more Marvel movies. According to Deadline, Disney asked for a 50/50 profit split between the two companies, which was up from Disney’s original 5 percent yield. Sony, who saw the massive success of Spider-Man: Far From Home, decided that it could be successful without the help of Disney.
With no fixed deal in place, Sony would be able to make its own Spider-Man movies set apart from the MCU. This news shocked and angered fans, who loved seeing their favorite web-slinger interact with the rest of the heroes in the MCU.
Many believed that Disney leaked the information of the negotiations to reporters so fans would come to the aid of Disney to get Sony back to the negotiation table. Though this is speculation, one thing is certain: fans had Disney’s back.
disney after turning the media and fans against Sony and inevitably getting the deal they want to keep Spider-Man pic.twitter.com/bpLvTAVtp4— chloe (@echochlo) August 21, 2019
Countless Spidey fans posted their anger all over the Internet. Most of their anger was directed towards Sony, who many believed was responsible for not seeking a new deal to keep Spider-Man in the MCU.
Someone said “Spider-Man far from MCU” and I haven’t been the same since— Plathanos 🐝🇩🇴 #HIVESZN (@SavinTheBees) August 20, 2019
first they took tony stark away from me and now they want to take spider-man away from me too... i’ll NEVER forgive y’all for this— 🐣JIMIN BDAY BASH🐣 (@luvnamgis) August 20, 2019
Eventually even Tom Holland, who plays Spider-Man in the MCU films, reached out to executives at both Disney and Sony to ask that they figure out a deal.How DARE Sony do this to Tom Holland?! TO HUMANITY?! #SpiderMan pic.twitter.com/78rCEJDoRO— Jamie Jirak 👻 (@JamieCinematics) August 20, 2019
Finally, after what seemed like fruitless attempts at getting a new deal, Disney and Sony finally reconciled. The two companies agreed to collaborate on one solo Spidey film and that the character would show up in one other Marvel film.
Fans celebrated the return of their favorite hero to the film universe they’ve loved for the past decade. They could once again see Tom Holland redon his red and blue tights to resolve the massive cliffhanger that left audiences in eager anticipation for the next film.
How to describe this morning in a gif #SpiderMan pic.twitter.com/O543ZRpQTM— Ryan Wright (@RyanPWright) September 27, 2019
Though it might be speculation that Disney purposely leaked information to rile up fans, this situation shows how anger can cause audiences to spark change. Spider-Man fans were furious at Sony for not reaching a new deal. Their anger caused Sony to rethink its negotiation and finally reach a new deal with Disney.SPIDEY'S BACK IN, EVERYBODY!— Ryan McCaffrey (@DMC_Ryan) September 27, 2019
With where the last film ended, I'm really glad to see this. The film will, based on Sony's track record making Spider-Man movies, be better this way, and everyone will make more money: https://t.co/4557dDhhqQ
Even if Disney didn’t purposely leak this information, it certainly benefited from it. Disney got Spider-Man back in the MCU, and it will now gain 25 percent of the film’s profits instead of a measly 5 percent.
At the end of the day, fans’ outrage benefitted both Disney and Spider-Man fans!
What do you think of companies using their audience’s anger to their benefit? Let me know in the comments below!
This reminds me of the example in our book about fans of Jericho fighting to get CBS to bring the show back and certainly highlights the importance of supporting the groundswell. Whether or not Disney was the source of the leak, this example shows the power people can have thanks to the groundswell.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, when I found out about Spiderman leaving the MCU, I was pretty mad too. This definitely made me re-examine my initial reaction. I did see a lot of people defending Sony online, but a good deal of others were also defending Disney. It definitely brought a seemingly private, sealed off negotiation into the public spotlight.
ReplyDeleteSo many people, get pissed of by little things on a daily basis. How about something they love really well. Research has show me that to be successful in marketing you need to learn how to play with peoples emotions. I grew up watching spider man all parts, Disney knew it had its enthusiasts and were ready to let everything out. That was a great strategy Disney pulled out. For some organization it may not work, so you still need to get what works for you ad your consumers.
ReplyDeleteA great read! I initially thought you this blog post would be very serious considering how -important- this issue was and your focus on fan's anger, but the tweets that you included brought it back to a more lighthearted feel and I couldn't help but laugh at the "spiderman far from mcu" tweet. What makes the groundswell more powerful in this issue is that even the people involved (Tom Holland and RDJ) are getting involved. This adds a ton of pressure for Disney and Sony and it shows that other people involved such as the actors are not happy about it. Also, Tom Holland and others getting involved can bring more awareness to fans about what is going on which can lead to them joining together to resolve the issue.
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